Driver thrown from SUV

A McHenry man was taken to a hospital in what authorities said was critical condition early Friday after his vehicle struck a utility pole and overturned in Nunda Township.

Emergency crews arrived in the 600 block of South River Road soon after a call about 12:30 a.m. to find an SUV flipped over in a ditch and the driver lying some 15 feet from the vehicle, the McHenry Township Fire Protection District reported.

The driver, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was traveling south on River Road when the SUV left the roadway and struck several sign posts and a utility pole, causing it roll over onto its roof, fire officials said.

The man was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle, they said.

Speed and alcohol are considered to be factors in the crash, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said.

The 26-year-old man, whom authorities did not identify, was taken by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center, reportedly in critical condition.

The utility pole was knocked over and the SUV sustained serious damage. Power was knocked out for several residents in the area, authorities said.